Death of the Prince
by Remembering childhood
Summary: Oneshot. In old age, Vegeta turns to his only trusted friend to give him the help he needs. Rated T for violence and character death. R&R.


**Author's note : usual disclaimer... don't own a thing.**

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"I'm old."

That statement is uttered slowly, with some kind of sad resignation to it. The older man passes a hand trough his wet black hair… well, it hasn't been exactly black for a decade now; streaked with threads of white it still stands densely and proudly as ever as a flame on his head though. His eyes are glued to the horizon as if he could read in the disappearing rays of the sun some truth still evading him. There is a soft chuckle besides him, as his younger counterpart sits painfully besides him.

"I know the feeling." His ever present smile plastered on his face somewhat reassures his prince that some things will never change. It is strange that only a few years ago, it seems, the smaller man held a grudge against that man whose presence over the years has grown to be _comforting_.

"How's Chichi ?"

Between the years after the Boo ordeal, their rivalry put to the side, slowly a bond started to happen; a bridge was slowly erected between individuals of complete extremes. But even so, such a common, yet private, question was very unusual. True to his habits, the younger alien answers without thinking.

"She is on a war path, bent on stopping me from training, you know: no longer have the youth to do it, she says…" the tall fighter smiles

"she would definitely throw a fit if she found out we still spar" his eyes fill with undying affection

"you certainly can't get bored with women like this one!" his merry laughter is interrupted when he sees his friend's features take an expression so similar to what they where many years ago, when shadows of his past were still haunting him. He asks :

"How's Bulma?"

Somehow, Goku knows he has asked the right question. He can see that his companion is grateful that he didn't have to start on the subject. His face becomes even more tensed before he unclenches his jaw.

"I think it will be over soon". His voice is calm, but dry with controlled emotion. He knows this for certain. With uncertainty comes fear and hope, with certainty only resignation and despair.

"She's dying, she's dying and I don't know what I'll do when she's gone" he sighs "It isn't right; I should die first, fighting, like a warrior and wait for her in the otherworld, not linger here, without sense or purpose" he stops in his sentence; he forgot he wasn't alone for a moment "I just feel this wasn't supposed to be."

He lets himself fall on the ground, his eyes searching the darkening sky for those stars he once dwelled amongst. His friend comes to lie besides him and almost tenderly whispers:

"Does she know?"

The older fighter closes his eyes and his answer is clear. How could he. How could he tell her that, with his higher senses, he can foresee her death and that it is imminent and though he knows, no one could save her from the ultimate foe, the one no training can beat; time.

"I don't want to see it happen… Goku…" for the first time in his life, he speaks his _human_ name, he almost stumbles on the syllables. Fear is evident in his rough voice. For a moment, a long moment, only silence is shared by the two men lying on the fresh grass.

The larger warrior moves. In a slow motion he stands up and turns his back on his long time ally.

"Go home"

Those two simple words echo in the air like the most powerful blow. Home, his home… It seems to him he hadn't had a home before he met her, in fact, _she_ became his home. Indeed, it is where he belongs, where he will belong until the end, then, nothing will hold him back.

Without a word, the proud prince leaps into the air.

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When he enters his home, it is the smell of cooked lamb that greets him. Though it is now dark in the house, he can see his wife soundly asleep on the couch, her breathing is so slow and quiet now, nothing compared to that reckoning snoring he used to tease her about. He walks to her side and gently puts a hand on her shoulder. Her eyelids open and she seems confused at first, then jolts fully awake and runs to the kitchen afraid that the unbelievably big piece of meat in the oven would be burnt. The short alien listens with a hidden affection as she rants on how he should have awaken her sooner, how she now had to rush to prepare things for their guests…

Their guests. As she says it, the door bell rings, announcing the arrival of their children and grand children.

The evening goes by perfectly; the mighty prince even making an effort to be more civil towards the two members of the Son clan that accompany his offspring. He even teases the hyperactive children running around the dinner table by tickling them as they pass near him. Spirits run high and the conversation is merry.

Soon, the clock sounds the time for the guests that so seldom visit to leave. The lavender haired parents, heirs to the world's most powerful corporation, search for their mother. She skipped dessert, saying she was tired. They find her asleep on the couch, wrapped in her blanket. Without a sound, they hush their children out before turning towards their father.

"Tell mom we had a good time"

There is a silence, the icy eyes of the man that said this so simple phrase look into those of his enigma of a father. Only neutral onyx eyes answer.

"I will"

The proud fighter closes the door on the four adults waving goodbye and sits on the floor. He had lied. Probably for the first time of his life, he had lied. Lied because, in his mind, he had promised his concubine he would offer her a perfect evening and telling the truth now would shatter this perfect night; the last one. His nostrils are filled with mixed scents; roasted lamb, mashed potatoes and various side dishes, a perfect cake made for the occasion and the ever distinct smell of death. He doesn't have to reach for his wife's cold hand, to check for a non-existent heartbeat; he knows.

This night, he will hold her. Hold her tenderly, one more time, until the last parcel of life exits her mortal shell.

* * *

Both men are up early. They didn't have two call each other, or wait for any kind of signal; they felt it. When the prince reaches the arid land they once fought upon, his opponent is already there. His usually goofy features replaced by a hard and pained expression.

The combat is fierce, yellow flashes enlighten the still deep blue sky, loud supersonic booms could be heard over the distance, would there be a soul in this forsaken land. Then, a moment of eternity happens; one fighter realizes he has made a mistake, a mistake for which there is no pardon at such speed. Bodies collide, bones are broken, blood is spilled and a figure falls from the sky.

His clothes are thorn, blood oozes freely from open cuts and his whole body lies on the ground in a most unnatural contorted pose. But, as tears run down his cheeks, he smiles, he smiles radiating an inhuman joy.

"Finish me off" he mutters, knowing, though his eyes are dead, that his taller friend is near him.

The other man doesn't move. He has the power to obliterate worlds, yet, this last request is beyond him. He only watches as tremors shake the man's body lying on the ground, as he coughs huge amounts of crimson blood.

He kneels besides the dying man and holds his hand.

The sun is now high in the sky, the merry chirping of distant birds can be heard and each new breath comes more separated from the last. Then, as a particularly painful intake of air takes place, the man on the hard ground tightens his hold on the larger hand.

"Thank you" he murmurs, as he smiles once more. He turns slightly his head to a side and the younger fighter sees his eyes flash with that flame only a certain person could rise: he sees her. And then, slowly, his grip on his former enemy's hand loosens, his head falls on the side, a peaceful smile adorning his lips, and the proud prince is gone.

"Goodbye my friend" the tall sayan says as he rises, bitter tears rolling freely on his face. He turns his back on the inert body and slowly walks towards home, towards a place his kids so rarely come to visit nowadays, a place where a loving wife waits for him, a wife that can never fully understand. In that moment, Son Goku, savior of the universe, felt completely alone.

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**This is it... a sad oneshot to get through my writer's block on my other ongoing story. Hope you liked it. Feel free to review, it's always appreciated.**


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